| LUS Principle |
PROCESS |
OUTCOME |
| What would this principle look like in terms of process? |
Process related issues to consider in the evaluation |
What would this principle look like as an outcome? |
Outcome related issues to consider in the evaluation |
| a) opportunities for land use to deliver multiple benefits should be encouraged |
- Multiple benefits discussed
- Specific multiple benefits named in documents and meeting notes
- Aims or objectives of the project or initiative cover a range of outcomes
- Range of stakeholders involved
- Links across departments/ organisations
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- Are specific multiple benefits discussed and named in documents, at meetings? In what ways are they discussed?
- Are there a range of stakeholders engaged in the project beyond its core area (either geographically or thematically)? How are they engaged? What roles do they play e.g. partners, consultees?
- At what point have they been involved?
- What parts of the organisation are involved in this?
- How is the project being implemented so as to ensure multiple benefits?
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- The project, action or activity delivers more than one benefit
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- Do any projects deliver multiple benefits?
- What are the key objectives for the project and have they been realised?
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| b) regulation should continue to protect essential public interests whilst placing as light a burden on businesses as is consistent with achieving its purpose. Incentives should be efficient and cost‐effective |
- Where appropriate, efforts were made to reduce any requirements emerging as a result of the plan or programme
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- Did any plan or programme put in place any requirements on other groups?
- If appropriate, where there considerations as to the burden of complying with these requirements?
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- Affected groups recognise that requirements were designed to reduce the burden of compliance
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- Did any relevant plan or programme put in place any requirements?
- Where appropriate, is there significant burden in complying with any requirements?
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| c) where land is highly suitable for a primary use (for example food production, flood management, water catchment management and carbon storage) this value should be recognised in decision-making |
- The value of primary of land uses are identified and recognised as part of the decision-making process
- Reference is made to key related strategies (e.g. sector specific strategies)
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- Is there a clear primary use(s) for the land and has this been discussed and considered (e.g. floodplain, prime agricultural land etc)?
- How is that determined/ agreed (e.g. by referring to other policies, strategies, gathering input from key stakeholders etc)?
- Has land ownership and land value been considered to help identify potential areas of land more suited to primary uses only (e.g. prime agricultural land, other high value land etc)?
- How is this identified primary use represented in decision making (e.g. as a non-negotiable)?
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- Project is clear about priority land uses and seeks to protect and/or enhance them
- Spatial plans, management plans etc clearly delineate where land is highly suitable for a primary land use and explain why
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- Does the project reflect wider strategies focused on primary land use as appropriate e.g. for woodlands, food, flood risk management?
- Have areas reserved for primary land use been integrated with other land uses within the project area?
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| d) land use decisions should be informed by an understanding of the functioning of the ecosystems which they affect in order to maintain the benefits of the ecosystem services which they provide |
- Ecosystems services or principles discussed as part of project
- Use of specific tools to support consideration of ecosystem function and ecosystem services in decision-making (e.g. GIS/spatial representation of ecosystem services, integrated habitat network modelling, woodland opportunities mapping etc)
- Decisions about land use include an assessment of ecosystems (formal or informal)
- This will potentially be linked to Principle 1 - multiple benefits
- Engagement with relevant stakeholders with an interest in ecosystems
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- In what ways are ecosystems services discussed within the project?
- Have specific tools been used to support understanding of ecosystem function and the potential value/distribution of ecosystem services?
- Is there explicit reference to them e.g. used as a framework? Is there implicit reference e.g. a place based approach?
- Is the project framed within an ecosystems approach?
- Were relevant stakeholders with an interest in ecosystems involved in the project?
- Is reference made to strategies or initiatives which are based on ecosystem services or the ecosystems approach (e.g. the LUS)?
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- Project takes a holistic approach to land use and the benefits and services provided
- Project has sought to identify and assess the contribution of ecosystems and their related services to its stated aims and objectives
- The subsequent delivery of any related action on the ground is designed to help protect and restore ecosystem health and increase provision/value of key ecosystem services
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- If appropriate has the use of ecosystem services affected the decision making process?
- Has the project or initiative taken steps to restore ecosystems and ecosystem processes (e.g. natural drainage processes, habitat networks, soil quality/stability etc)
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| e) landscape change should be managed positively and sympathetically, considering the implications of change at a scale appropriate to the landscape in question, given that all Scotland's landscapes are important to our sense of identity and to our individual and social wellbeing |
- Landscapes and places are discussed, at a scale appropriate to the decision-making process, in terms of their symbolic meaning to communities and Scotland
- Where appropriate, the meaning and value of landscapes and sense of place to communities are sought from the communities themselves
- Engagement with relevant stakeholders with an interest in landscape
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- In what ways, if at all, are the places and landscapes that are part of the project discussed?
- Have specific tools and guidance documents been used to support the consideration of landscapes and place (e.g. SNH Talking about Our Place Toolkit, SNH core areas of wild land map, LCAs, FC guidance on Forests and Landscapes etc)?
- Were relevant stakeholders with an interest in landscape involved in the project?
- Is reference is made to the Landscape Convention?
- Are the impacts of any development considered within their wider context?
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- Project makes explicit reference to the symbolic meaning of landscapes
- The subsequent delivery of any related action on the ground is designed to fit sensitively within the landscape
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- If appropriate, how has the recognition of the importance of landscape and place influenced the decision making?
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| f) land use decisions should be informed by an understanding of the opportunities and threats brought about by the changing climate. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with land use should be reduced and land should continue to contribute to delivering climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives. |
- Climate change is integral to project discussions
- There is recognition or an assessment as to the challenges and opportunities presented by a changing climate
- Reference is made to climate change impacts and adaptation
- Opportunities for land use and land management activities to deliver climate change mitigation and/or adaptation are discussed
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- How were climate change impacts identified?
- How were climate change mitigation and/or adaptation opportunities identified?
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- The project has made an appropriate assessment of the implications of climate change
- Adaptation actions have been integrated into the decision making context
- Where appropriate, the subsequent delivery of any related action on the ground is designed to help mitigate climate change and to be resilient to key climate change impacts
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- If appropriate, how did the understanding of climate change impacts affect the decision making process?
- What were the most relevant climate change impacts and how was this determined?
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| g) where land has ceased to fulfill a useful function because it is derelict or vacant, this represents a significant loss of economic potential and amenity for the community concerned. It should be a priority to examine options for restoring all such land to economically, socially or environmentally productive uses |
- Reference is made to derelict or vacant land within the documentation
- An assessment of the potential derelict or vacant land resource within the project area has been undertaken
- Utilising derelict land is considered as part of the scope of the project
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- Did the project consider the use of derelict or vacant land?
- Was there any assessment as to how much derelict or vacant land there was in the project area?
- Was there any assessment as to the condition of derelict or vacant land in the project area and the constraints that this may pose in terms of regeneration (e.g. clean-up costs)?
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- The regeneration and utilisation of derelict land forms part of the project outcomes
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- Has derelict or vacant land been used as part of the project?
- Has the regeneration of derelict and vacant land been designed in such a way as to deliver multiple benefits?
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| h) outdoor recreation opportunities and public access to land should be encouraged, along with the provision of accessible green space close to where people live, given their importance for health and wellbeing |
- Evidence of consideration of outdoor recreation and public access as part of project development
- Engagement with relevant stakeholders with an interest in outdoor recreation and public access
- Engagement with local communities in the areas likely to be affected to ascertain their needs as regards outdoor recreation, access and provision of greenspace
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- Were opportunities for outdoor recreation and public access considered within the project?
- Were relevant stakeholders (including local communities in affected areas) with an interest in outdoor recreation and public access involved in the project?
- Were a range of outdoor recreation activities and greenspace functions considered (e.g. parks and gardens, small scale community growing, outdoor education etc)?
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- Promoting outdoor recreation and public access forms part of the project
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- What are the potential opportunities for outdoor recreation and public access and how have they been realized?
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| i) people should have opportunities to contribute to debates and decisions about land use and management decisions which affect their lives and their future |
- Stakeholder and community engagement is integrated into project planning discussions and decisions
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- How are stakeholders and communities engaged in the project? In what ways and with what objectives?
- Does the project have a stakeholder and community engagement plan?
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- Stakeholders and the public feel that they contributed to decisions that affect them
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- Is there stakeholder or community support for the project?
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| Opportunities to broaden our understanding of the links between land use and daily living should be encouraged |
- Opportunities for the public to engage with or be made aware of the role of land are sought
- Raising awareness of the role of land forms part of the aims and objectives of the project
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- In what ways has the project sought to raise awareness of the role of land to people's lives?
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- People have become involved in managing the land and the benefits it provides
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- If appropriate, has the project raised the awareness of the role of land in people's lives?
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